Alle responds to: "I want to become an independent editor."

“I study grammar with intensity and am sensitive to tone and pacing. I am also kind.”

She continues:

I’ve been with a writer's group for over 20 years, providing developmental and line editing for the other members. They say I'm good at it. But I don't have cash to invest in training to be a professional editor. What can I do?

Alle sez:

I am so pleased to see that you list “kind” as one of your credentials. We writers need kind editors!

To your question: becoming a professional editor is a career. Very few people set themselves up in a career without enhancing their natural talent with professional training.

If you don’t have the funds right now, perhaps volunteer for a nonprofit journal in an assistant role. I worked for you two before becoming the senior nonfiction editor at jmww journal. The position came up after I published a flash essay with them.

In terms of marketing yourself, you could start by asking each person in your critique group for a testimonial, a brief one, a few sentences, and keep those on hand for when you feel ready to launch your business.

You might want to take a peek at the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) training pages.

Best of luck!